Animal Instincts
by cookie crumbs
Summary: Ever since Hermione had wandered into Draco's room one night, he's been acting strange around her. Licking her neck, sniffing her and getting very, very jealous whenever another guy comes near her strange....what's up with him? Draco.Hermione
1. Golden eyes

**A/N**: Long story short. The writing for this story was awful, so bad that I didn't want to update it. It's been revised, _again_, and now I hope it's going to be a million times better!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any ideas I borrow from Inuyasha. I wish I did, because then I'd be rich. This is purely for fun!

* * *

**Animal Instincts**

The war was finally over.

Hermione pried open her heavy eyes, blinked and then quickly closed them again with a frown. "What- -?" she groaned sleepily, her voice hoarse from all of the singing and cheering she'd been doing earlier that night. "He's so noisy.." she grumbled, when she heared something slam loudly in the distance. Rolling over, she shimmied herself deeper under her thick duvet so that they covered her head completely. It didn't help. Another muffled groan sounded from beneath the thick maroon duvet. Pushing it back, Hermione grabbed her spare pillow, rolled onto her side and pressed it against her ear. Silence. With a sigh she smacked her lips together, already drifting off- - another loud slam, followed by a smash.

Gritting her teeth, Hermione threw her pillow across the room as if it was to blame for her failed attempts at trying to block out the noise coming from outside of her room. Her brown eyes lingered on the canpoy abover her bed, before she sighed and began to kick her way out from beneath her duvet. Slowly, she dragged herself out of bed. Malfoy was going to get an earful when she got hold of him, what was his problem anyway? Drunk probably.

Not bothering to grab her dressing gown, she fumbled for her wand that was sat on her bedside table and then began to shuffle across her bedroom. "Ouch!" she hissed into the dark and bit back her lip. Grabbing her throbbing foot, Hermione hopped around the room comically on the other, cursing herself for not switching on her light. "Bloody books.." she mumbled, glaring at the the haphazard mess of books and boxes scattered around her room. She hadn't had the chance to unpack everything yet, having only arrived here yesterday. She made a mental note to do so in the morning as she carefully picked her way across the room, so there'd be no more accidents in the middle of the night. Then again, there wouldn't have been an accident if Draco wasn't being so bloody loud.

"Lumos" The end of her wand flared up with a brilliant white light, momentarily blinding her. Wincing against the harsh light, Hermione rubbed the back of her hand into her heavy eyes and yawned loudly. Another smash, followed by a pained and strangled howl. Howl? Hermione felt her heart drop, 'Werewolf. There's a werewolf here.' But how could that be possible? Was it even a full moon? Her clever brain whirrled. No, the full moon was days away yet. Then what was that?

"What on earth?" Suddenly anxious, Hermione pointed her wand down one end of the corridor and saw nothing but the painting hung at the end of the hall. Slowly, she pointed the light towards the other end of the corridor and walked forward so that she was stood at the mouth of the corridor that spilled out into the large circular space that was the common room. "Empty..." That left the bathroom and Draco's room. Automatically, her grip tightened around her wand. The last place Hermione wanted to go was Draco's room. Sure they had some sort of uneasy friendship now, if you could call it that, but Hermione wasn't 100 percent sure she could trust him. There was something very different about Draco, she'd noticed a change in him. He was hiding something from everyone and she wasn't entirely sure it was anything good.

Then again, she thought as she made her way towards their shared bathroom, maybe she was just being paranoid. Just because his family served Voldermort didn't make him evil. Hermione had always suspected that Draco had only been doing what his mother and father wanted, that he was scared of them,_ for_ them. That was why she'd decided to give him a chance, to make an effort with him. Yes, he'd been a horrible little git with herself, Harry and Ron in the past but he seemed to be making an effort now. At least he was making an effort with her. Maybe he felt bad for all the times he called her a mudblood? Hermione shook her head, this wasn't the time to be mulling over Draco's change in attitude.

The bathroom was empty. Hermione bit her lower lip, and walked back into the common room. That left Draco's room. With a resigned sigh, she straightened her shoulders and headed across the common room and to the corridor that lead to Draco's room.

Pressing an ear to the door, Hermione strained to hear anything. A long moment of silence passed in which she contemplated returning to bed when another smash followed by a sharp ripping sound had her jumping away from the door. "M-Malfoy?" she croaked, her heart throbbed uncomfortably against her chest.

Silence, followed by more rummaging and scratching, like nails being dragged across wooden floor boards.

After a moment of hesitation, Hermione gathered her wits about her and knocked on the door. "Malfoy, what are you doing?" she demanded, hiding her fear behind forced anger and irritation.

Silence again.

'No answer.. Maybe he'll finally shut up and let me sleep.' She grumbled mentally and was about to hurry back to her bed when the memory of the howl assaulted her mind. No, something wasn't right and leaving when Draco might need her help would be wrong on many levels.

Hopping from foot to foot uncomfortably, because she was starting to feel cold dressed in only her spaghetti strap pyjama top and pant bottoms, Hermione quickly pressed her ear to the door. "Draco?" she called loudly.

Silence.

A shiver tickled it's way down her spine and an uncomfotable knot wedged itself in her stomach "Looks like im going in" she whispered, pulling her head back from the door. Taking a deep breath and mentally reminding herself that she's faced worse than a possibly drunk Draco Malfoy, Hermione readied her wand and turned on the doors golden knob. "Malfoy?" Peeking her head into the room, she found her eyes straining to seek into the dark. "Hello?" she whispered, pushing open the door further so that she could give the room some light.

"Oh my..." She trailed off, her mouth falling open. The room was a wreck and looked as though someone or _something_ had ravaged it. The knot in her stomach tightened. Where was Draco? Picking her way over broken glass, Hermione stepped further in the room. Jagged pieces of shredded wood and robes littered the floor. Torn books and boxes lay scattered amongst the mess too. Bending down, Hermione picked up a familiar looking book. Hogwarts; A History. She'd barely lifted it from the ground before it fell apart in her hands. Only the cover remained and when she lifted it to the light, fear gripped at her heart. There were claw marks scratched across the surface.

Now Hermione was terrified. Where was Draco? Was he safe? Had the creature gotten him? She turned her wand and pointed it in all directions, searching for a sign of the blonde haired slytherin. Eventually she stopped at his bed. That too had been shredded. Feeling the palms of her hands wet her wand with sweat; she shakily brushed back a curl and licked her tongue over her dry lips. She needed to leave, to find help. But she couldn't move.

The door slammed shut.

Hermione shrieked and spun around to face the door. "Who are you! Draco!" She panted, trying but failing to contain the fear in her voice. She needed to be strong, it was never good to show an enemy fear. Pointing her wand in all directions, her dark eyes darted around the large room, searching again, for any sign of Draco. "This isn't funny!" she snapped finally and when all that answered her was more silence, she made a run for the door.

But it was too late, something had her by the wrist just as she reached for the golden door knob. A croaked scream tore through the room followed by a sharp gasp when Hermione felt her herself being yanked into something hard and warm. A body? She barely had time to gather her wits before she was sent flailing across the room, the iron grip that had been on her wrist gone.

The gryffindor winced when her body collided with a solid wall, her vision blackening at the corners of her eyes as she fell back to the floor. A quiet moan escaped her lips as pain coarsed its way though her body, wrinkling her nose and creasing her forehead. Blinking away tears, Hermione rolled her head to she side, her eyes searching for her wand. It was sat a few feet away, still emitting a faint glow, the only light in the room. Slowly, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the golden eyes of her attacker.

"...D-Draco?"

**End**

**A/N: **Better I hope? Check back for more!


	2. Secrets

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or Inuyasha, though I wish I did, because I'd be rich! This is purely for fun!

**A/N:** Chapter two, completely revised. Enjoy. :]

* * *

**Animal Instincts**

* * *

"...D-Draco?"

Not even Hermione's intelligent mind could register what happened next. Everything moved fast, and her sight blurred so much so that she had to squeeze her eyes shut to stop herself feeling sick with dizzyness. Her senses and thoughts swung back into play as she realised that her body was no longer laying on the floor but hanging in mid-air. Gasping, she lifted her hands and desperately scratched at the clawed hand clamped around her neck.

"What are you doing here?" a voice snarled angrily. Confused and dazed, Hermione didn't respond, instead she continued her futile attempts at trying to free herself from her attackers grip. Her body thrashed in the air, her legs kicked out at the body before her feebly.

_'I c-can't breathe! I – I need air!'_

As if he could read her thoughts, her attacker strode across the room, towards the balcony. Hermione barely had time to wonder how he was able to keep her so firmly in his grip and move about, without dropping her, when the balcony doors were violently slammed open. Ice-cold wind slapped her in the face, chilling her body through to the bone. It nipped, mercilessly, at her bare arms, only adding more pain to her already aching body. A gruff choke passed her quivering lips as she realised the new, life threatening situation she was in. Her Hands no longer clawed for freedom, instead they clung to her attackers arm with a grip as tight as the one _'it'_ had on her neck.

Opening a watery brown eye, and then the other, Hermione peered across at the one who was kindly hanging her over the edge of the balcony, her body going completely rigid at the creature stood before her.

Long white hair?

…Dog-ears?

The expression he wore was impassive, cold, though all of his anger, and what looked like fear, (she couldn't be sure given the dire situation she was in), shone in his striking gold eyes. Her lungs burned for oxygen.

"You tell anyone about this, _anyone_, and I will kill you," he snarled and narrowed his eyes at her darkly. "Promise me you won't tell anyone!"

Hermione tightly closed her eyes, allowing fresh tears to stain her pink cheeks. Confused thoughts flew through her head, everything that was happening, the whole ordeal was too much to process. She gasped for air when he loosened the grip on her neck, just enough for her to take in some more oxygen. Her chest was raising and falling at an alarming rate as she greedily drank in as much air as she could, relieving the aching burn in her lungs. And then she was falling, but the moment was so brief that she didn't have time to scream. The same clawed hand that had previously had her around the throat was now holding her in the air by wrist. Her legs swung in the air, over the balconys ledge.

"Promise me!" his voice barked angrily, and loosened the grip on her wrist a fraction. Her body stiffened, seizing up with shock and her heart began to pound hard against her rib cage. "Promise me, or I swear I'll drop you."

"I…" she mumbled through chattering teeth. "I…p-promise!" she gasped again, unable to bear the burning pain in her shoulder and the wind that seemed intent on torturing her sore body. "I promise!" she cried again, her voice croaking in the wind. _'Please…'_

Satisfied with her answer, he yanked her back up, hard. Hermione flew up into the air, a little over the balcony, and her heart dropped into her stomach as she came crashing back down again. For a fleeting, terrying moment, she thought that he had thrown her over the edge, But then strong arms have curled around her waist, catching her. Her body involuntarily slumped into the warmth and support of her attacker, her head lulling to the side a little. Her vision had become a blur of watery colours that was growing darker and darker around the edges. Gold was the last colour she saw before she let her mind slip into the dark world of unconsciousness.

* * *

Hermione rolled over onto her side and buried her head further into her pillowcase. After lying still for a few moments, she tiredly blinked open her eyes and stared at the wall facing her.

_Promise me._

_Promise me, or I swear I'll drop you. _

Staring at the wall for a moment longer with hooded eyes, Hermione felt them widen as realisation dawned on her. _'Did that actually happen?'_ biting her lower lip, she tightly wrapped her fingers around the top of her blanket and hugged it close to her body. For a second she thought that maybe it had been a nightmare, but when she moved to sit up her whole body screamed in protest, evidence that last night hadn't been a dream. Or a nightmare.

"Argh!" she cried, falling back into her soft mattres. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as her body relaxed into the warmth and comfort of her bed. Merlin, she _ached. _

"Don't move."

Hermione stared up at her canopy, her brow knitted together with wonder and pain. What was Draco doing in her room? Exhaling a slow breath, she pushed her elbows down into the soft mattress and slowly, yet steadily, tried to lift herself up so that she could see Draco. It hurt, like hell, and she groaned as she moved, her arms shaking under the strain of trying to lift her heavy, aching body.

Draco made no move to help her, as she slowly sat up and moved to rest her back against the beds headboard. Blowing out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, Hermione allowed her gaze to slide over to the boy sat in the chair a little ways from her bed. As per usual, his expression was impassive, guarded, but there was something off about the way he was looking at her. His grey eyes watched her intently, and if Hermione didn't know any better she'd have said there was worry mixed in there too.

"What are you doing here…?" she asked, apprehension gnawing at her insides.

"You aren't in any extra-curricular classes today, I cancelled them for you." He said, ignoring her question. Slouching back into the chair, he locked his fingers together, resting his hands against his chest. He was dressed in muggle clothes, Hermione noted, a pair of jeans, a white shirt and a cable-knitted cream jumper. It was a very rare sight, another thing to add to the growing list of changes Hermione had been noticing about Draco.

_Promise me!-_

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, uncomfortable on Hermione's part, at least. Because she knew, deep down that something was very wrong. "Where were you last night?" she asked, her voice level and cautious, because a part of her already knew where Draco had been, that he had been there, in that room with her. White hair and dog ears flash in her mind.

"You already know the answer to that, Hermione" he whispered in response, his eyes never left hers.

Hermione stared at him, her lips pulled into a hard line. "No." She shook her head, "There's no way. That-that _thing_, that wasn't you." She shook her head again, refusing to believe it. Draco might have been capable of many things, but hanging people over balconies, threatening to kill them, wasn't one of them. But when she looked back to Draco she saw that he was glaring back at her. With golden eyes.

_'Golden eyes..'_ All Hermione can do was stare, her mouth falling open.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me a _thing_." He growled, the corners of his mouth tight.

Draco had been the attacker. It was Draco Malfoy. Memories of what had had happened the night before crashed down around her like a tidal wave. The door slamming shut. The gut wrenching feeling of fear. Being thrown into a wall, choked and hung four stories up over a frozen lake. Falling, falling.. and then being caught around the waist.

_Promise me you won't tell anyone or I' will kill you!_

Draco Malfoy had done that to her, he was the 'animal.' Hermione stared at him in horrified silence, Her voice had lost itself somewhere in the back of her throat. She shivered, involuntarily, at the memory of being thrown into a wall, of being hung over a balcony. "Get out." She whispered finally and when Draco didn't immediately move, she glared at him. "Get out!" she threw her arm out to point at the door, the movement killed her but she refused to let it show.

For a moment she thought she saw a flash of hurt cross Dracos face, but then it was gone and replaced with the same impassive stare he always wore. "Here. I had a nurse brew this up for you." He said quietly and removed a large corked vial from his pocket. "It's a healing potion." He placed it on her nightstand and then stood and walked across the room.

Hermione watched him with wary eyes, her fingers wrapped tight into her duvet. Draco stopped at the door and turned back to face her, "Hermione-" his expression shifted from blank to concerned, confused and then worried before it eventually rested back at impassive. "... I'm sorry." And then he disappeared through the door, leaving Hermione alone in her room.

* * *

"Shit."

Draco paced the common room and dragged a hand through his pale hair. How could he have been so stupid? How? A low moan, something like that of a tortured animal, sounded from the back of his throat and he threw himself down onto one of the plush couches in the middle of the room. _'She'll hate me now.'_ The dark and unsettling thought gripped at his heart, like an iron fist, and squeezed so tight he thought that it might burst. Hermione couldn't hate him, she couldn't. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she did, not now. Maybe back before he had chosen her . . . she could have hated him then. In fact she did. But he'd been working hard, so fucking hard to make things okay with them. And then he has one nightmare. . . and everything is ruined.

He dragged his hands down across his face, inhaled and then exhaled slowly. He wanted to go, to speak to Blaise, but he was afraid that if left that Hermione would come out of her room and then go running off to Potter and Weasley. His lips turned down into a deep and unpleasant frown. No, he couldn't have her telling them anything about him. Nobody could know about what he truly was. Reluctantly, he stood and then headed back over to Hermione's door. It must have been two to three minutes before he mustered up the courage to knock. Hesitantly he lifted his hand and knocked twice against the door. No answer. He knocked a second time, a little more forceful.

"Go away!"

Gritting his teeth, Draco pressed his head against the polished wood of the door, lifted it a moment later and then dropped it again with a heavy thud. He had to fix this, he had to.

"I said go away, Malfoy!"

Bracing himself, because having to face her anger was a much worse prospect than having to lose her, he turned the golden handle and pushed the door open.

Hermione sprung from her bed, her wand in her hand. "Don't you come near me." She warned and Draco frowned, his chest ached uncomfortably at her hostility but it was diminished by his slowly building anger. The thing he hated more than aything was being treated and looked at like he was some sort of savage animal. But Hermione had every right to be on guard and angry and, well, he didn't.

"We need to talk." He said finally, pressing his lips into a line.

"I have nothing to say to you." Hermione retorted. Knelt upright in the center of her bed, her wand followed Draco as he walked into the room, his hands raised in the air. Just minutes before he'd entered she'd finally taken the potion he'd left, after much deliberation. After all, it could have been poison for all she knew. But eventually she came to the conclusion that It wasn't, she could tell by the smell, the colour and the potions consistency. After she'd swallowed it, she'd sat on her bed for a good five minutes, her mind bursting at the seams as she tried to process everything last night. What was that? And most importantly, what was Draco? What _is_ Draco? He's definitely not human, at least, not entirely. She'd been pulling on some jeans and socks, ready to go and find Harry when Draco had knocked. For a moment she'd considered climbing out of her window, or maybe hiding under her bed. But they were four stories up and it wasn't like she had a broom to aid her escape. If she hid under the bed, he'd just find her. So, instead, she had thrown on a brown jumper and grabbed her wand.

"Let me explain-."

Hermione slowly shook her head, slowly moving back over her bed as Draco inched further into the room. He stuck to the walls and kept his hands raised, to show that he had no intention of hurting her. By the time he'd finished moving, Hermione had already scrambled back off the bed, and was now stood on the opposite side of the room, her back pressed against the wall. Her brown eyes darted to the door and then back to Draco. If she was fast enough, she could make it. She wasn't wearing her shoes but that didn't matter, all she wanted was to get the hell out of the room.

Draco watched Hermione carefully, and when her dark eyes looked from his and to the door then back again, he knew that she planned to run for it. "Hermione-" he warned and cocked his head to the side, giving her a look that screamed 'Don't-even-think-about-it'. For a brief moment he thought she was taking his warning into consideration, but then she rushed across the room. Draco rolled his eyes.

Hermione is a fast runner.

But he's faster.

Startled, Hemione gasped when a pair of arms curled around her waist, sweeping her feet from the floor. How had he gotten to her so fast? How! She'd barely made it through her bedroom door! Draco dragged her back into the room and slammed the door shut. "Let me go!" she cried and thrashed her arms and legs in a desperate attempt to wriggle free. Her hand flew back when she remembered that she had her wand, but Draco snatched it from her with ease, and carried her back to the bed with only one arm holding her in place at his side. "Malfoy!" She cried, furious at being tossed onto the bed like a small child. "Who do you think you are!" she shrieked, and scrambled back up onto her knees.

"I can't let you leave, Granger, I'm sorry." Draco shrugged and folded his arms across his chest. Hermione scoweled and glanced from her wand, that he was still holding, and to his face.

"Give me back my wand."

"No."

"Draco Malfoy, give me back my wand this instant or I'll-"

"Or you'll what, Granger?" Draco interrupted and quirked a brow. "Throw a pillow at my head?" he smirked, a part of him enjoyed the look of pure unadultered rage on Hermione's face.

"I'll do worse than throw a bloody pillow at your head!" she snapped, her hands curled up into small fists at her sides. This action only fueled Draco's amusement so that he was staring across at her with a wide and smug grin.

"Oh?" he cocked his head to the left. "I'd love to see you try." Smirk still in place, he crossed her room, back over to the chair he'd been sat in earlier, and relcaimed his seat. "Unless you want a repeat of what's just passed, Granger, I suggest you stay put." He raised his eyebrows at her and smirked lightly when Hermione slumped, defeated, her face flushed.

The red in Hermione's face could match that of Ronald Weasley's, Draco was sure of it. Except where Ron looked like a giant tomato when he got angry, Hermione looked breathtaking.. and deadly. Draco liked it. Twirling her wand in his hands, Draco watched Hermione carefully. She wasn't speaking now, just glaring at a spot just above the door, studiously ignoring him.

"I'm sorry about last night." He started, a little uncomfortable. Draco Malfoy wasn't used to apologising. "It wasn't-" he paused, frowned and then tried to start again. "I mean, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Hermione scoffed loudly at that and then crossed her arms across her chest. Her glare had shifted from the wall to her duvet. "I didn't." He repeated and then shifted in his seat, still very much uncomfortable.

"You threatened to. _kill._ me." She spoke finally, turning her angry glare on him. "You threw me into a wall. Choked me and then hung me over the bloody Frozen lake!" her voice had risen higher and higher as she listed his offences, until she was left shouting at him. "And you're going to sit there and tell me that you didn't mean to hurt me!" she all but yelled, her face was still red and her eyes were wide with anger. Draco simply hung his head. It made Hermione feel a little bit better, seeing his obvious guilt, but only a teeny-tiny bit. "What the hell are you anyway?" She muttered, as her her ingrained curiousity finally won out over her anger momentarily. She'd have been lying if she said that she hadn't been wondering the answer to that question all morning. _What is Draco Malfoy?_

Draco lifted his head and let out a tense sigh. Hermione was giving him a chance, an opening to explain. He silently thanked Merlin for Hermione's insastiable curiosity and ever growing thirst for knowledge and then dragged his fingers through his hair. "I'm half a Wolf-Demon."

Hermione stared at Draco, her glare was still in place as she took in the small piece of information he'd just given her. '_So, what, he's a demon? What the hell?'_ She eyed him, sceptical, as her quick mind began to sort through everything she knew about demons,( which isn't much if she was being honest,) and everything that happened last night. "Wolf-demon?" she repeated, her voice dead-pan.

"Yes." He replied, and Hermione could tell from his expression that was being completely serious. They stared at each other for a long moment then, Hermione's mind whirrled, piecing things together, and Draco's prayed for her forgiveness, if he could just explain to her things to her. "Nobody knows what I am. Besides you and Blaise Zabini." He said, "And McGonagall of course." He shrugged and then hesitantly added, "Snape knew too.."

Hermione looked up at him then because she was sure she had heard his breath hitch with a hint of loss and sadness when he had mentioned Professor Snape. Hermione hadn't realised that he'd cared for Snape, but then, she didn't know much about how their relationship had been. Just that when Draco had been forced to kill Dumbledore and couldn't do it, Snape had done it instead, at Dumbledore's request, to protect from Draco from having to murder. Hermione's heart ached at the whole thought of it all, bringing up unwanted memories of the past year. She shook her head, she would not be distracted by that right now.

"Why did you attack me?" Hermione asked. Her mouth was pressed into a grim line but she was no longer glaring at Draco.

Draco sighed quietly and dropped his head into his hands. "Because I lost control." He murmered and then looked up from beneath his lashes at Hermione. "I- I had a nightmare. Sometimes, they're so. . . _intense_, that the demon in me, it starts to take over and I just – I just _lose_ it." He looked away to the wall on the other side of the room, feeling uncomfortable under Hermione's probing stare. He hated talking about himself but more than anything, he hated admitting that he has nightmares. Nightmares meant that he was weak and weakness was not something he liked to boast. But he knew that for Hermione to forgive him, he had to be honest. "You weren't supposed to see that. It wasn't supposed to happen."

Well. Hermione hadn't expected this. Draco Malfoy, a Wolf-Demon. She knew little of them and she only acknowledged what he was saying as truth because she recognised the term 'Wolf-demon' from her past research on Werewolves and other supernatural creatures. She would definitely have to do some more research now. They both fell into silence then as Hermione weighed up Draco and the information he'd just given. After a few moments she shuffled towards the end of the bed and moved to stand before him. "My wand, please."

Draco looked up at Hermione, wary, and then, reluctantly, passed back her wand. Hermione nodded a thanks and then tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. "I believe you." She said finally, still stood before him. When he rose, she quickly took a step back, to keep some space between them Just because she believed him didn't mean that she felt comfortable being all that close to him right now. A flash of hurt crossed his face, but it was gone before Hermione could register it.

Draco stared down at her with such an intensity that it made Hermione flush a pretty pink. _'Why is he staring?'_

"Thankyou.." he breathed, "I really didn't mean to hurt you. I- wasn't myself."

_'Tell me about it.'_ Was the idle thought that rran through Hermione's mind as she gazed back up at him. She wasn't sure why, or how, but all of a sudden it felt like a veil had been lifted from her eyes and now that she was able to see the real Draco, everything was right in the world. But then she hadn't seen the real Draco, had she? It wasn't as if she had gotten a good look when he'd been hanging her over the balcony. "Can I see?" she whispered, peaking up at through lowered eye lashes.

"See?" he repeated and quirked a brow at Hermione's nod. He knew that she wanted to see him without the concealment charm. "Close your eyes then." He ordered, his voice soft.

Hesitant, wary but too curious, Hermione did as she was told. Less than thirty seconds passed before she was asked to open them again. Her mouth dropped open into a small 'o'. The boy stood before her was not Draco Malfoy. Although they shared the same nose, mouth and strong jaw, the person stood before her was probably the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. Although she'd never admit it, Draco was a good looking guy, everybody knew that. But if they could have seen him now... with his golden eyes and his sun-kissed skin, and his shock of white hair that spilled down his back, well.. they probably wouldn't believe that it was him. "Oh.." she breathed and then slowly trailed her eyes from golden ones to rest on the two dog/wolf ears that were poking through his white-blonde hair. Hermione quickly bit back on her lip when she felt her mouth tugging up into a goofy grin.

"I hope you're not laughing at my ears, Granger." Draco warned but it was completely defeated by the playful edge in his words and the small smirk on his face. He felt so much better now that Hermione knew. It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Sure Hermione was probably still mad at him, but as far as he was concerned, having her grinning up at him, her eyes bright with curosity, was definitely a step in the right direction.

"I'm sorry, It's just..." Hermione snorted on a giggle, her eyes widening a fraction when one of his ears flickered. She wanted to say that his were cute and adorable but instead said, "...so different." She marveled at him, her expression one of barely contained awe. Her fingers twitched with anticipation, so she quickly curled them into her palms. Her face had blushed again when she realised that she very much wanted to touch Draco's wolf ears. Of course she couldn't do that, it would be inapppropriate and he'd think she was weird for wanting to. "Uhm. So. Right. You're Half Wolf-Demon." She said quickly, suddenly uncomfortable with the unexpected direction her thoughts had begun to take. Not to mention the way Draco kept looking at her.

His gaze was much more intense than usual and Hermione couldn't help but wonder if was just because she's not used to seeing him with golden eyes or if was because he really was looking at her with... what? Lust? Desire? 'Don't be stupid, Hermione' she mentally scolded herself and quickly dismissed any such silly thoughts from her mind.

"Are we okay, now?" Draco asked, a hopeful edge to his words.

Hermione blinked up at him, surprised by the concern that marked his voice. _'Strange.'_ "Well, I can't say I'm all that thrilled with what happened last night." She frowned and wrapped her arms around herself. "But I- I understand. Sort of."

Draco sighed, his shoulders sagging with relief. "Again, I'm sorry about that." He mumbled, scratching at a furry ear. "Last night was. . ."

"I was worried." Hermione blurted before she could stop herself. She flushed again at Draco's curious and surprised stare. "I thought something had attacked you. . ." she trailed off, feeling like a complete idiot. What had possessed her to say that? She had no idea.

"Worried?" Draco smirked and then pressed his hands to his chest, a pout on tugging at his lips. "About little old me?"

Hermione gaped, because Draco Malfoy was _pouting_, and a part of her thought that he looked kind of good doing it. And then she flushed again, anger bubbling inside of her. "No." She snapped hotly, turned on the spot and stalked over to the other side of the room. "I'm going down to get some breakfast." She grumbled and then disappeared through the door.

Hot on her heels, Draco appeared before Hermione in a flash, before she'd even made it halfway through the corridor. Her heart leapt in her chest and she gasped, surprised "Draco!" she scolded, though secretly awed by his speed. _'How did he..- he's so fast!'_

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" his asked, anxious.

"Of course I'm not." Hermione frowned, a little offended that he had to ask. But then, it's not like they're all that close. Sure, they've been getting along better than they ever have before, but they're hardly best friends. "It's not my secret to tell." Her anger momentarily forgotten, Hermione offered Draco a small, friendly smile and then turned to head over to the common room entrance.

"Ah- Granger."

"Yes?" she paused halfway through the entrance and turned her head back to look at Draco.

"You aren't wearing any shoes."

"Oh.." Another blush. Would she ever stop blushing today? "Uh, thanks." She mumbled and then quickly hurried back to her room. When she returned, she could see Draco leaning by the portait door, with his arms folded across his chest, looking like some sort of male model. Albeit a strange one, with wolf ears and golden eyes. "Are you staying here?"

Draco quirked a brow. "You want me to come with you?"

"No!" Hermione said, a little too quickly and then bit her lip when Draco's frowned, she hadn't meant to offend him. "I was just. . . curious. I suppose."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want Potter and Weasley to think I'm stealing you from them." He grinned slyly and cast a sideways glance at Hermione who was, for what had to be the hundredth time that morning, blushing. "You're pretty when you blush, Granger." He winked down at her and then stepped through the portrait door, leaving Hermione stood in it's doorway gaping after him.

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**End of Chapter two**

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**Cookie Crumbs**


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